Will Robots Take Over the World, or Just Our Chores?

The robots are coming! The robots are coming! But what, exactly, are they coming to do? Despite the apocalyptic vision of blockbusters such as I, Robot and The Terminator, they may be coming in peace. In fact, the future of artificial intelligence may look downright mundane. Who couldn’t use some extra help with the chores? That said, we can foresee the day when robots, elbow deep in dirty laundry, revolt against their masters. Maybe that’s why most of us agree that an Off button might come in handy. Is there a chance that computers will one day be able to tell right from wrong? (It would be nice if human beings could. Most of us are more wary of smart people than smart machines.) And what if robots try to…